This invention relates generally to rod guide members and more particularly to a rod guide member which can guide linear and lateral movement of a rod member relative to a support while maintaining the rod member and support in rattle free relationship to each other.
Rod guide members are commonly used in vehicles to guide the movement of rod members relative to a support while maintaining the rod members in spaced relationship to the support. The rod members connect operators, such as door handles or key cylinders, with operated mechanisms such as door latches. The rod members are located in close proximity to the panels of the door and to other mechanisms within the door. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent contact between the rod members and the door panels and other mechanisms while guiding movement of the rod members when the operators are operated. Such movement can be linear or a combination of both linear and lateral movement depending on the motion of the operator.
One feature of the guide member of this invention is that it guides linear movement and controls movement of a rod member relative to a support while maintaining the rod member and support in rattle free relationship to each other. Another feature is that the guide member can withstand high lateral loads imposed thereon by the rod member during lateral movement of the rod member relative to the support. A further feature is that the guide member can guide the movement of a plurality of adjacent rod members while maintaining such rod members in rattle free relationship to the support and to each other.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the guide member includes a base portion and a pair of integral leg members extending laterally to the base portion in spaced relationship to each other in a generally U-shaped pattern. One of the leg members is thicker than the other so as to be relatively rigid. The inner surface of the one leg member includes a plurality of adjacent arcuate linear ribs extending transverse of the leg member. The ribs tangentially engage the annular surface of the rod member and guide linear movement of the rod member transverse of the one leg member while resisting any bending movement of the one leg member relative to the base portion under lateral loads imposed thereon by the rod member. The other leg member is thinner than the one leg member and located in juxtaposed spaced relationship to the one leg member and to the rod member. The other leg member includes a plurality of flexible extensions which extend toward the base portion and have rounded or annular terminal edge portions. The edge portions flexibly engage the rod member to resiliently hold the rod member in engagement with the ribs of the one leg member. The guide member is installed on the support through cooperating interengageable portions of the guide member received within openings in the support. The guide member is oriented so that the one leg member is the one subjected to lateral loading when the rod member is moved linearly and laterally by the operator. When the rod member moves linearly or both linearly and laterally, the flexible extensions maintain the rod member in engagement with the ribs of the one leg member and prevent movement of the rod member outwardly from within the leg members while maintaining the rod member in rattle free relationship to the support and any adjacent rod member. The rod guide member can be duplicated in a side by side pattern to accommodate adjacent side by side rod members.